


For a Friend

by An_Odd_Idea



Series: The Idiot’s Notebook [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captured Steve Rogers, Friendship, Gen, I have no idea what her last name actually is, More tags to be added, Protective Tony Stark, Protective vore, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tiny Natasha Romanoff, Tiny Steve Rogers, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Vore, kinda dumb, safe vore, size change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23765566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/An_Odd_Idea/pseuds/An_Odd_Idea
Summary: Nobody knows it, but Tony Stark has a very strange ability.  Sometimes it comes in handy to get his friends out of various situations.
Relationships: Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Steve Rogers
Series: The Idiot’s Notebook [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706476
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	1. Steve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magicath14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicath14/gifts).



> This is a collection of stories (not related to each other) requested by magicath14. Thanks for the request, friend! I hope you like this first one.
> 
> Look at me, writing Steve Rogers when I was sure I couldn’t! I hope I got his character okay.
> 
> Please do not copy, print, or reproduce outside this site, I don’t want to get sued.
> 
> As it says in the tags, this story contains vore. If that’s not your thing, this isn’t for you.

  
This was not good. Steve crossed his arms and surveyed his thick glass prison again. His strength wasn’t enough to break out; he had the bruises to prove it. So far, any attempts to climb up the smooth sides and dislodge the (secured) lid had been fruitless. As the time went by, a prickle of real unease had grown into very real fear in the back of his mind.

Explosions may or may not be a good sign. It could mean someone had gotten a lead on his whereabouts and was coming to rescue him, or it could mean he was about to get blown up along with the entire Hydra facility. Being small certainly wasn’t doing him any favors, either. At roughly four inches tall, imprisoned in some kind of super-strong glass box, he’d be hard to spot even if someone was coming for him. 

That was the idea, he supposed: making sure no one found him. And keeping him under control. Hard to escape when one was smaller than a Barbie doll, super strength or no.

The distant explosions grew less distant, now accompanied by crashing and shouting and the unmistakable whine of Iron Man’s repulsors. So someone WAS coming! Feeling useless, Steve pressed close to the glass, practically holding his breath and praying they would think to check whatever kind of lab this was.

The door burst open, and Tony crashed in. He made a strangely intimidating sight: huge (at the moment, anyway) and armored, gaze scanning efficiently around the room. 

Pleased as he was at the prospect of being rescued, Steve groaned. Of course it had to be Tony. He was never going to be allowed to forget this.

Nevertheless, dignity wasn’t something to be overly worried about now, and Steve pounded against the glass and shouted as loud as he could. It worked; Tony turned in his direction and stopped for a full second in apparent shock.

“Thank God,” Steve blurted out, damaging his dignity even further but still not caring.

“Cap?” Tony hurried over to the table that held the small prison, still too startled to start making jokes, it seemed.

Steve tried not to gawk. Over the past days, he had become almost used to giants and to the constant fear of being crushed by huge hands, but it was quite different to see a _friend_ just as capable of crushing or manhandling him, too.

“All right, gotta admit I wasn’t expecting this.” 

Tony’s faceplate disappeared, and Steve couldn’t help but smile a little. It was good to see a friendly face again, even if it was still entirely bigger than a face had any business being. “I wasn’t really expecting it either.”

“What’d they do, suck the serum back out of you?”

There were the jokes, but Steve couldn’t find it in him to be annoyed just yet. “Some kind of electronic beam. Looked like something you might have made.”

“Well I certainly didn’t, but I imagine I could make something to zap you back.” 

Tony removed the lid of Steve’s container like it was nothing and reached a hand in with him. He startled back slightly, just out of impulse.

Tony saw (dratted genius saw everything), and his expression changed to something Steve could almost describe as gentle. “Easy there, Spangles. Just me.”

“That’s the most humble you’ve ever sounded,” said Steve, climbing gingerly into Tony’s metal palm and wondering if his repulsors had any kind of safety built in.

“Well, you know. Sacrifices for the greater good and all that.”

Tony drew him carefully up out of the container, and it was a strange feeling to be held gently and (somewhat) of his own free will. It wasn’t so strange to be held too close to a giant person’s face and studied, but he had the luxury to lean away this time.

“They hurt you?”

“Not much.” That was a lie.

Feet pounded toward them, Tony’s faceplate shut with a clank, and Steve tried not to gasp when metal fingers clutched him to a metal chest as Tony whirled to face their new attackers. It was only the work of a few seconds before they were all on the floor, and the hallway burst into flame with a whoosh.

“Uh oh.”

Tony leaped to close the doors one-handed, and Steve felt the heat singe his hair before they slammed shut, just before the fire would have consumed the lab. As it was, it effectively trapped them inside.

“What was that for?” he asked as soon as they appeared relatively safe.

“That wasn’t me! Probably some kind of anti-invader system, just cook everyone.”

“Great.” Steve looked back toward the door with the flames roaring behind it. “How do we get out?” A windowless room inside a bunker provided few escape options.

“Well _I_ can just fly through, if I’m fast enough. You might not do so well, though.”

“Are you really a genius, or do you just state the obvious until someone hears you?”

“Did I or did I not just save your tiny ass from Hydra?”

“Last time I checked we were stuck in a lab with a furnace as the only escape route, so no, I don’t think you did.”

“Yeah yeah,” Tony grumbled. “I’ll get you outta here, no worries.”

Steve sighed.

“I do have a plan, though,” said Tony, serious now. “You’re probably gonna hate it, but if it works, I say it’s worth it.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Well.” Tony laughed nervously, and a nervous Tony was _never_ a good sign. “I might have to, ah, swallow you?”

Steve actually felt his heart falter, and he clutched on to Tony’s gauntlet to steady himself. “ _What?_ ”

“I’d have to make you a little smaller first, obviously, but that’s a plan.”

“Tony, what-“

“I can’t explain it.” Tony held up his free hand, the one that wasn’t holding Steve. “I just _can_.”

“Can _what_ , exactly?”

“Make someone- you- smaller, not very much in your case, neutralize my stomach acid, and fly us the hell out of here.”

Well that was unexpected. That was all Steve could think at the moment.

“You never told me?”

“You never needed to know.”

“ _How?_ ”

“No idea.” Tony waved his hand. “Zero. But I can, and I can get you out of here.”

Steve still felt at a loss for words.

“So what do you say, Captain Tiny?”

“Well, I can’t say I’m overly excited.” Steve tried not to grimace. “But if it’s the only way...”

“So we’re agreed?”

Steve wavered. “How many times have you done this, Tony?”

“Once.”

That was a far less reassuring answer than he would have liked, but there was nothing else for it. “And you’re sure there’s no other way?”

“Not that I see at the moment, and this isn’t really an ideal place to linger.”

Steve nodded once, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”

Tony blinked at him in surprise. “You’re agreeing?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Fair point. Dear god this is weird.” Tony looked around the room. “Okay. Smaller, now.”

It was an alarming sensation: pressure all around him, watching Tony’s palm grow closer as he became even smaller, and he let out a breath of relief when it was over. Tony was even more of a giant now, definitely capable of swallowing him whole. Steve fought back a shudder.

“Alright. Now I need you-“ Tony pointed a finger at his chest- “to stay still. Don’t move, just let me handle it.”

 _It_ was an awfully benign word for _being_ _eaten alive._

“All set?”

Steve squared his shoulders and made himself look his giant of a friend in the face. “I’m trusting you, Tony.”

Something flickered behind Tony’s eyes- he probably didn’t hear those words from him too often, Steve realized- and he smiled slightly. It was a soft kind of smile, usually reserved for Pepper or for Bruce when he was being particularly awkward, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, Steve felt safer than he thought he ever had in his life.

A moment later, the smile was gone, replaced by Tony’s usual businesslike demeanor. “That’s my man. Just keep your arms by your sides, try not to panic, and we’re good.”

Steve clamped his arms against his sides, resisting the desire to fold them over his chest. Tony picked him up, very gently, in his other hand, but it was frightening. Everything about this was frightening, but it was what it was. If he had survived decades in a block of ice, he could survive this.

“You might wanna close your eyes. Probably helps.”

“Good idea.” Steve hadn’t been going to, but now that he had been told, it was a welcome escape.

He held perfectly still, even when he felt Tony’s hot breath around him. He tried not to squirm when he found himself sprawled on the giant man’s tongue- keeping his arms at his sides was a challenge when he also desperately didn’t want his face touching that, but he was given little say in the matter. His head faced forwards, _down_ , and he couldn’t help scrunching up his face slightly. He didn’t think he’d felt this helpless since Howard Stark put him in the machine.

Must be something about Starks.

Correction: he hadn’t felt this helpless since about half a second ago, and now it was much worse because Tony had swallowed him (was swallowing him?) and he was being shoved and kneaded along with terrifying efficiency. Still all he could think about was machines. This was a machine, a human one, but a machine nevertheless, and it was with this thought that he fell straight into Tony’s stomach and landed with a soft squelch.

 _That was that_.

“Alright in there?” Tony’s voice was strangely awe-inspiring from where he was. Powerful, even. Or maybe it just felt like that now that Steve was completely at his mercy.

“A little squished, but doing well, all things considered,” he shouted up to him.

“Glad to hear it. We gotta scoot.”

Steve flailed as he found himself suddenly airborne, colliding with the front of Tony’s stomach a moment later.

“Oof, that was less than pleasant,” said Tony, around him. “I apologize.”

“How do you not throw up in that thing?”

“Well for starters, _you’re_ not usually rattling around.” Tony must have turned a sharp corner, because Steve slid unsettlingly inside him.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked, suddenly guilty.

“Not much. Hell of a stomachache later, though.”

Steve was silent. It was definitely a strange thought, giving someone else a stomachache. Not to mention _being_ a stomachache. That part he hadn’t quite come to terms with, actually being inside the stomach of his friend and teammate. It wasn’t meant for him- it would actually _kill_ him if left to its normal function- but Tony had stopped it. Turned off the machine, as it were, and he was safe.

He felt a bit bad, too; Tony had quite literally offered up his body to protect him, and Steve was hurting him, even if he couldn’t help it.

“Tony?” He spoke quietly, not even sure Tony would be able to hear him.

“Cap?” He did hear.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, maybe don’t get used to it.”


	2. Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if it’s Romanoff or Romanov or Romanova. Forgive me.

  
“I’ve been compromised.”

“Is now a good time to admit I don’t know what that means?”

Natasha barely, just barely, restrained herself from throwing her comm across the room. “This. Is. Serious.”

“I actually don’t know,” said Tony. “I just know spies say it when they’re found out. Does that mean they know about both of us, or-“

“That means they recognize me.”

“And that’s bad.”

“Yes that’s bad,” Natasha snarled. “Get out of here.”

“Uh, sorry, didn’t copy. Are you asking me to _leave_ you?”

“If you’re seen with me, you’ll become a target, too.”

“Hm, still not copying.” Tony climbed up beside her, far from stealthy even without his suit.

Curse his snarky ass. “Stark.”

“Romanoff.” He actually had the nerve to grin at her.

“I’m telling you to save yourself. I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, no.”

Useful as Tony was, Natasha had never missed Clint more. Not that he was likely to be much more cooperative, she thought bitterly. “No?”

“No, you won’t be fine, and no, I won’t be saving myself if I go back alone, because Barton’s going to be waiting when I do. And then Cap, and then Bruce- Thor might take a swing or two if he ever comes back to Earth- and then Fury gets whatever’s left.” Tony faked a shudder that Natasha really hoped wasn’t meant to look realistic. “No thanks.”

“Alright wise guy. You got a plan?”

“Well I was planning on just walking out with you and seeing if they still feel the way they do now. I can call a suit in half a second if this stops being a sneak mission.”

Natasha shook her head. “They’ll know I’m with you then, you’ll be a target. The whole team will.”

That made him pause. She knew it would.

“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t think much of one more target on my back— I have a tapestry of them— but the team...” Tony looked her up and down with a calculated expression, like he was evaluating her for something, probably weighing her life against the safely of the others.

“I’ll be fine.” That wasn’t certain at all, but she had gotten lucky before.

“Somehow, I still don’t believe you. Luckily, I’m still going to walk out with you.”

“Tony...”

“It’s... a little unconventional, you probably didn’t learn about it in spy school or anything, but hear me out.”

That was usually cause for unease, when Tony Stark said _hear me out_.

“What’s your plan?”

“Well the plan— don’t kill me— the plan is I make you smaller, about like this—“ he used his fingers to indicate an absolutely minuscule size, “— and I carry you right on out of here, _oh you’re looking for a redheaded spy? Never heard of her, have a nice day_.”

Well that was unexpected. Natasha frowned. “Is this some kind of new tech, or...”

“Nope, I can just do that.” He’d officially lost it. “Don’t go spreading that around, though. I like to keep my very occasionally useful abilities a secret.”

“Tell me again what you’re planning?”

“Make you small, you ride with me, nobody suspects a thing. It’s perfect.”

“Right.” Natasha eyed him carefully. He looked serious enough. “If you think it’ll work, go ahead.”

She didn’t tell him how much every part of her recoiled at the idea.

“Good.” Tony clapped his hands, looking relieved. “I’ve been told it feels a little weird, but it’s not bad.”

Even with years of training and practice masking and even manipulating her emotions, Natasha couldn’t suppress a small gasp as the floor raced toward her. Looking up, she watched the ceiling receding, and Tony growing from a person to a human skyscraper in half a second. It didn’t help that the instant everything stopped moving, he crouched down entirely too close with all his giant focus zeroed in on her.

“You alright?”

“Great.” Natasha smoothed her features back into a mask of cool. “Yourself?”

“A little tired of this place, to be perfectly honest. Let’s go home.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Good thing you insisted I look professional for this. If I put you in my shirt pocket, do you promise not to murder me?”

Natasha rolled her eyes.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Tony’s enormous hand reached for her, and she held stubbornly still as his fingers trapped her and lifted her up. Everything was perfectly fine. Tony slipped her into his pocket with painstaking gentleness, and she allowed herself one deep breath while no one was watching.

Natasha Romanoff was not accustomed to feeling helpless. Even tied to a chair and dangled over an abyss, she wasn’t helpless, despite what all appearances would suggest. But now... yeah this was pretty helpless. For someone who so often depended on keeping a situation under perfect control, it was a terrible feeling, one she tried to avoid at almost all times, and Tony was definitely not her first choice for someone to find her in it.

That was fine, though. Everything was fine, and she wouldn’t have to stay like this for long. She had no real reason not to trust him, especially in this, after he had insisted on it to avoid leaving her. It was fine. She was terribly out of control here, but it was still fine.

The pocket Natasha was in swayed as Tony walked, and that was definitely a new experience. Held so close to his chest, she could actually hear his heart beating strangely fast. That was also new.

Presently, Tony’s heart sped up exponentially, and Natasha was jostled as he made some quick movement.

“Okay, they’re definitely suspicious.”

At roughly the size of a paperclip, those were not good words to hear. “Where are we?”

“Janitor’s closet. Change of plan.”

No escape routes, no way to check the hall before opening the door again. Easy to be cornered. On the other hand, plenty of cleaning products to be sprayed in faces, and an array of supplies to be used as improvised weapons. “Are they coming?”

“No they’re not after us yet, but they were giving me looks.”

“And you’re hiding in a closet now?” Absolutely the worst move he could have made.

“If one of them goes to grab me wrong, you’re dead. This is a nice shirt. Anyway, new plan.” Tony cleared his throat, broadcasting his unease as clearly as if he had written _nervous_ on his forehead in hot pink marker. “You’re allowed to hurt me for this later, and I’ll completely understand, because right now I think I need to hide you in my stomach.”

It was getting harder and harder to tell herself this was fine. “Excuse me?” said Natasha.

“I’ve done it before, it’s perfectly safe, and nobody would suspect a thing. We get out of here, and you can get Barton to-“

“Tony!” Natasha snapped. “What are you talking about?”

“Hiding you. Safely. Until we’re clear.”

“In your stomach.”

“Yeah. More very rarely useful abilities, turning off your digestion at will.”

He really might as well, at this point, Natasha thought. He was big enough, and it had actually crossed her mind, just one more thing to think about while she was small. Not that he would, but that he physically _could_.

Apparently he also would. This mission was going downhill so fast, really, why would something like this not happen? Natasha sighed.

“Romanoff?” Tony was probably afraid she had fainted.

“You’re serious?” Natasha supposed she should be afraid, but this was just ridiculous.

“Sorry.” For someone so enormous, he sounded strangely meek.

“It’s fine.”

“So you’re on board?”

“It’s not my first choice of an escape plan, but I won’t stop you.”

“Excellent. I”ll have to pick you up again now.” 

The pocket was disturbed, and Tony’s fingers reached inside. Natasha climbed onto them and held on while he brought her out and looked at her again. His face was impossibly big, grotesquely so, and she didn’t like looking at it.

“You’ll be fine,” said Tony, and the strange gentle-voice he used was definitely going on her growing list of VERY new experiences today.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, here we go. Just try to keep still and we’re golden.”

Natasha gave him a sharp nod and closed her eyes. It was practical: less to see, less to fear, less chance of reacting in a way that might hurt them both.

She didn’t react when Tony put her in his mouth, even though that was something that definitely shouldn’t be able to happen. She didn’t react to the complete grossness of it all. It was fine. It had to happen, and that was fine.

Tony swallowed, and Natasha gasped, her heart giving a sick lurch. There was no way to stop it. This was helplessness. This was not having control. She grimaced and clamped her eyes and mouth shut, shuddering slightly at the way everything squeezed around her. It was all wrong; nothing in her training had prepared her for anything like this, which shouldn’t be possible at all, and she could only wait for it to end.

It did end, and she fell, tumbling somewhere that was equal parts soft and slimy, and that was that. Taking a shaky breath, Natasha raised herself to her knees and looked around.

The foul-smelling air was thick and hot, and the darkness felt just as close and overpowering. Tony’s heart sounded different now that she was below it rather than in a shirt pocket above it. Natasha suppressed a shiver.

“We good?” said Tony from outside.

“Never better.”

“Then I’m headed back. See you in a bit.”

Natasha could feel him walking again, but the movement was less than it had been in his pocket. That made sense; her current location was supported by muscles that would brace and absorb motion. That thought was more uncomfortable than she had anticipated.

Tony was speaking to someone— he was nervous, Natasha could tell— and saying he had no idea what they were talking about. Even though she could see nothing, she looked up toward the source of his voice. 

She was no stranger to hiding herself inches away from danger, but it was usually on her terms. This was different, to have someone else keeping her undetectable. It wasn’t a good feeling. If he wanted, Tony could keep her for a long time, and no one would ever suspect by looking at him. Not that Natasha thought he would, but it was a slightly terrifying thought all the same. Of course he could also easily get rid of her here, and that was more terrifying to think about, but she dismissed it quickly. Tony wouldn’t.

He wouldn’t do anything of the sort. He would take her back and set her free again, because that was what he said he’d do. Everything was fine.

Nevertheless, it was maddening. Natasha felt like pacing back and forth to avoid merely waiting, but she imagined that could be uncomfortable for Tony. She grit her teeth and stayed respectfully still, listening to the person around her.

It was certainly a strange place to consider safe, and unease continued to needle at the back of her mind, but she smothered it. It was fine, and if it wasn’t, there was nothing to be done about it now. She closed her eyes with a sigh. This was certainly a day.

“We’re all good,” said Tony from outside. (Was it really outside if it was still him?)

“We’re clear?”

“They were suspicious, but they couldn’t find anything to go on. You doing alright?”

“I’d be better if you’d let me out of here.”

Tony chuckled slightly. “I don’t really feel like coughing you up in the middle of the street. Give me a minute to find somewhere.”

It was fine. For the first time that day, Natasha relaxed. It really was fine.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do take requests, friends, so let me know if there’s any character or situation or someone’s particular reaction you’d like to see. My only requirements are that it be clean (nothing sexual, please) and nobody gets hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, or come visit me on tumblr @an-odd-idea
> 
> Please do not copy, print, or reproduce outside this site, I don’t want to get sued.


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